Financial Process and Controls

Prepare now to meet public company requirements.

Going public marks the beginning of a new era for your company. But before you go public, you need to examine your financial processes and control environment, focusing on the transparency of financial reporting processes and the strength of your controls over financial reporting.

Begin with an entity-wide risk assessment
Prior to going public, smaller, privately-owned companies may find their accounting or internal control systems are inadequate to meet public company requirements-even larger companies may fall short in one or more critical areas.

An entity-wide risk assessment identifies risks and, based on a thorough review, what controls exist to minimize them. Risks could be financial reporting-related or operational. Companies operating in highly regulated industries may also face significant regulatory compliance risks that will also need to be addressed prior to going public.

Time is of the essence
By the time a new public company has filed its second Form10-K report, it must be Sarbanes-Oxley-compliant-meaning it has established controls over financial reporting and the CEO and CFO have certified those controls are adequate. Depending on company size, the external auditor may also have to opine on the company’s internal controls. In an effort to be proactive and to make it easier once they've gone public, many companies prefer to be SOX-compliant prior to the IPO.

Deep knowledge, just when you need it
McGladrey has the deep knowledge and experience a company pursuing an initial public offering needs, from the initial decision to go public through the IPO and beyond. We have experienced specialists in a variety of areas to support the IPO process, including IT, financial reporting and regulatory compliance.

Additionally, we have good working relationships with large external audit firms, which afford them the opportunity to place maximum reliance on the work we perform.

So, whether you need extra hands, full outsourcing or co-sourcing in one or more areas, give us a call. We'll provide the flexibility you need to scale up or down so you can meet all of your requirements in a timely manner.